"Donna?" he bellowed.

"You bellowed, your handsomeness?" she asked with a smirk, sipping a cup of coffee.

"I already consented to the dress buying and your lack of working," he told her. "I could do with a little less of the sarcasm."

"Bit much?" she asked.

"A little," he agreed and laughed as she grimaced. "Can I get a cup of coffee?"

"I suppose," she remarked and wandered back to her desk.

A few minutes later, Josh appeared at her side. "Um....Donna?" he asked.

"Yes, Josh?" she smiled pleasantly.

"What about that coffee?"

"I know," she gushed. "Margaret really has outdone herself today, hasn't she? This is the best this week...maybe in the last month or so..." she mused.

"I wouldn't know," he remarked.

"Why?" she played dumb.

"I was waiting for someone to bring me a cup," he glared.

"Oh...well...you better hurry up...she's a bit rusty when the second pot rolls around," Donna smiled.

"Get me coffee," he commanded.

"Go to staff," she threw back and stalked past him.

He jogged to catch up to her. "Donna," he whined.

"Joshua," she joked.

"Why won't you get me coffee? Just ths once," he begged.

"Then it'll turn into a big to do and I'll somehow be obligated by some crazy Lyman precedent or something and be tricked into bringing you coffee till the day I die," she over dramatized the whole thing by sighing and whining loudly.

"I'll know you till you die?" he pressed.

"But then it'll be 'Donnatella? Bring me my teeth and my coffee and the paper' or some crazy requests like that. I can't let it get to that point Josh," she told him. "You know that."

"Why will you have my teeth when I'm old?" he asked.

"Why not?" she countered as they reached Leo's office.

"You, my dear Donnatella," he smiled. "Are a constant source of joy and amusement for me."

She did a little tap dance in front of him and curtsied. "And look," she grinned. "I can tap!"

"Delightful," Josh grinned.

"Yes. Delightful Donna. That's what we'll call her," Toby commented pushing past the two of them. "Josh! You're gonna be late," he ordered.

"Get me a burger well done for lunch. And some cake. And a salad," he ordered her as he opened the door.

"Burnt beyond recognition for the burger," she wrote down and asked him. "And the rest?"

"Whatever kind of cake....and the salad's for you," he smiled. "I'll never eat it."

"Yay! Salad and cake! A day of many blessings," she laughed and started back down the hall as Josh laughed and made his way into Leo's office.

"Josh," Leo said as he wandered into the Senior Staff meeting.

"Hey, um Leo....guys," he said looking at everyone. "Did you know Donna could tap?" he asked seriously as he watched her skip down the hall. "I mean....she's no Tony Danza or anything...but..." he rambled.

"Tony Danza?" CJ asked.

"Wait...the Full House guy?" Will Bailey asked Toby.

"Are you kidding me with this?" Toby asked no one in particular.

"No...Tony Danza's from 'Who's the Boss?'," CJ answered Will.

"Oh...the one with Alyssa Milano," Will smiled. "I loved her."

"How did I not know he could tap?" CJ wondered out loud.

"Guys?" Leo asked interrupting.

"Yes," Josh answered Leo with his trademark smirk. "I'm sorry," he cleared his throat and everyone paid attention for the next half hour.

----

As they were leaving staff, Leo grabbed Toby's arm and asked him to stay for a moment.

"What's going on, Sir?" he asked Leo once the others had left.

"Josh," Leo said.

"Yes," Toby answered.

"Does he seem...off somehow?"

"More than usual?" Toby asked.

"Yeah."

"Not entirely," Toby murmured.

"Is it me or is he oddly fascinated with his assistant?"

"Again...more than usual?" Toby questioned.

"It's not a problem?"

"No," Toby answered, looking at the floor.

"See that it stays that way," Leo ordered opening the door for Toby to leave.

----

"Did you get in trouble?" Will asked Toby when he made it back to the Communications' Bullpen.

"If I ignore you will you go away?" Toby asked.

"That's not likely," Will answered with a smirk.

"Leo just had a thing he needed to bounce off me. No big deal," Toby assured Will as CJ came around the corner.

"Tobus! Did you have fun in detention?" she laughed. "What'd Leo want?"

Toby looked at Will and nodded for him to leave the room.

"Oh. So you'll tell her, I guess. I'm never going to feel like part of the gang if I'm never included in conversations," Will huffed as he sulked out into the hallway.

"What's with him?" CJ asked.

"He's just being himself," Toby assured her.

"So Leo...." CJ started.

"He wanted to know if I thought anything was up with Josh and Donna," Toby told her.

"Up as in..." CJ pressed.

"Up as in 'up' I guess," Toby said dryly. "How should I know?"

"Do you think something is?" CJ asked.

"I'm not Josh nor am I Donna so I don't see how I would be the one to ask in this particular situation," Toby told her.

"Josh is an idiot," CJ mused. "But how much of an idiot?"

"Ask Sam," Toby said and shuffled through some papers on his desk.

"He's going shopping with Donna and I this weekend," CJ said.

"Why?" Toby asked.

"Because Donna asked him for money to buy a dress and a few days off to go to her grandparents' anniversary party and he's decided that since he's paying for the dress, he should have a say in the purchase," CJ explained.

"So?" Toby asked.

"I find it odd," CJ mused. "He's also mocking Donna's date to said event."

"Mocking?"

"He's making fun of the name, in a way," CJ told him. "It's Winston."

"Is he a Republican?" Toby asked.

"You're hopeless, too," CJ laughed. "That's what Josh said!"

"Josh always mocks her choice in dates and she does in fact attract Republicans. Josh isn't all dumb all the time," Toby explained. "So he's just being typical Josh and they're just being typical Josh and Donna," Toby surmised.

"I guess," CJ lamented.

"And we shouldn't worry about this," Toby remarked.

"I guess," CJ sighed.

"Do we want them to be more?" Toby asked.

"Yes and no," CJ answered.

Toby sat down with a sigh and stared at CJ until she continued.

"They'd be happier," CJ smiled.

"They'd be fired," Toby shot back.

"No one understands Josh like Donna," CJ added. "And he won't do any better...you know this."

"Can you say sexual harassment?" Toby asked.

"It'd be consensual," CJ countered.

"It'd give us yet another scandal to contend with," Toby sighed. "They can figure it out when we're out of office."

"So you're saying you see it!" CJ laughed with glee.

"I'm not," Toby sighed. "I'm just musing is all."

"Whatever," CJ smirked. "So we just have to divert them in other directions for the time being."

"Right. They might be getting too close to the beaten path," Toby shook his head. "And that is not a good thing for anyone in this particular situation."

"You think by doing this we'll not get invited to the wedding?" CJ asked.

"Doing what? Going out of our way to ensure that they avoid all hints of romance until we leave the White House? I'm sure Josh will just forgive and forget if and when he figures the whole thing out," Toby said dryly.

"Hmmm," CJ pondered. "I'm calling Sam later," CJ told him. "See what he knows."

"Good. I'll talk to you later," Toby dismissed her. "I have actual work to, you know, do."

"You really are a softie," CJ smiled at him as she left his office.

"Spill it and die," Toby called after her.

----

"Can I go?" Donna asked Josh around 8 o'clock that night.

"Go where?" Josh asked, not looking up.

"Home," she answered from outside his door.

"For?" Josh asked, still not looking up.

"Josh! It's after eight on a Friday night and I've been here late four nights so far this week," she pressed.

"Late?" Josh asked.

"Past midnight," she informed him.

"You're a trooper," he smiled, looking up for the first time. "Wow," he smiled.

"Wow?" she asked.

"You weren't wearing that earlier," he stated.

"You're quite observant," she smirked, coming in and sitting down.

"Why are you wearing that now?" he asked.

"I was hoping you'd let me leave. I have a date," she told him with a small, determined smile.

"You made a date before seeing if we had to work?" Josh asked.

"Well...not officially," she sighed. "I kinda told Winston that maybe I might be able to get out before all the bars in the District closed and that if that was possible maybe we'd get a drink or something," she said.

"And it's only 8 o'clock. Surely bars are open much later," Josh reasoned.

"Yes," she smiled. "You are once again correct, o'great one," she joked. "But it's been slow since lunch. So...I may have called him and hinted at the possibility of dinner and dancing and drinks," she squeaked.

"In that," he thought out loud.

"What's wrong with this?" she asked getting up and letting him look her over again.

"Not a thing," Josh sighed as he took in her clinging dark clothes and their contrast to her light skin and hair...and her dark eyes and lips. "You look...." he started.

"Yes?" she pressed.

He shook it off and nodded to the door. "Go," he said. "Before I change my mind, just go."

"Really?" she squeaked.

He laughed at her sincere joy. "Yeah," he told her. "Have fun."

"I'll be in early tomorrow," she promised.

"Just...you know...call me around 9 or so. We'll plan on being here by like 10:30 or something," he offered.

"Thank you, Josh," she smiled sincerely. "You really are a great man."

"You deserve it," his eyes twinkled when he smiled at her. "Have fun."

"I will. Don't stay too late," she warned.

"Yes mom," he chastised.

"I worry," she told him.

"I know," he answered. "I'm going in a few minutes," he promised.

"I'll talk to you in the morning," she whispered.

"Yeah," he sighed.

And then she left.

And he sat.

Alone. A long time he sat at his desk....alone. And then the phone rang.

"Josh?" Sam asked when he heard the phone pick up but no hello.

"Yeah," Josh said, distracted. "Sam?"

"Yeah....you okay?" Sam asked, worried.

"I'm good. What can I do ya for, Congressman?" Josh asked, clearing his throat.

"Um....not much, buddy," Sam said. "I just wanted to see how you were. You kind of cut me off the last time we talked."

"Yeah...I'm straight. It's fine," Josh assured him.

"So...you're okay with Winston?" Sam asked with a smirk evident in his voice.

"I think he's a Republican," Josh reasoned.

"Yeah."

"Sam?" Josh asked.

"Yeah?"

"What am I doing?" Josh asked.

"At the moment? At 10:30 Friday night?" Sam asked.

"Sam..." Josh sighed.

"Did you at least let Donna go...I mean if you insist on staying at work all night long?" Sam asked.

"She's been gone. Date with Winston or whatever," Josh stammered.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Josh questioned.

"That's good. I mean...she deserves it, right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah...she's out with him," Josh mumbled.

"I gathered that," Sam smirked.

"So..." Josh sighed.

"So what are you doing?" Sam asked.

"Huh?"

"That's what you asked me," Sam reminded.

"Yeah..." Josh remembered.

"So...you mean in general?" Sam asked.

"Sam....it's late," Josh sighed.

"It is," Sam recalled.

"My other line is ringing," Josh said. "Can you hold for a sec?"

"Yeah."

"Josh Lyman," Josh said on the speaker.

"Why are you picking up your phone?" Donna asked.

"I'm on my way out," Josh told her.

"You said that two hours ago," she pressed.

"I promise," he smiled.

"I'm calling your house in forty minutes," she warned. "You best pick up."

"Is that a threat Donnatella?" he asked quietly.

"Go home," she smiled.

"I'll talk to you in forty minutes," he smiled.

"Sam?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sam perked up.

"I gotta go," Josh told him.

"Huh?"

"Donna. She's gonna call the condo and if I'm not there..." Josh trailed.

"Isn't she on a date?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Josh remarked, gathering his stuff to throw in his backpack.

"And why is she calling you exactly....while she is out with her date?" Sam questioned.

"How should I know?" Josh asked. "But I gotta get home," Josh said.

"Yeah."

"Have a good night, Sam," Josh smiled.

"You too, man," Sam sighed and disconnected.

Then he called CJ.

"CJ?" Sam asked when she picked up her cell phone.

"Sam," CJ smiled. "Did you find out anything?"

"We could have a problem," Sam sighed and summarized his and Josh's conversation.

----

Josh made it home and turned on CNN in the living room and NPR in the kitchen and grabbed himself a piece of cold pizza. Then the phone rang.

"Yo," he said into the receiver.

"Is that how you answer the phone now?" Donna asked.

"I knew it was you," he insisted.

"Uh huh," she laughed.

"I'm home. Safe and sound," he told her.

"I'm happy about that," she smiled.

"Having fun?" he asked, though not really caring.

"Yes, Josh. Thanks for letting me go," she gushed.

He couldn't help but smile at her excitement. "Okay. Go and finish your date," he told her.

"I'll call you in the morning," she reminded him. "And warm up your pizza," she told him.

"Hey! How'd you know what I was eating?"

"Josh..." she smiled.

"I knew you were a witch!" he accused.

"You're nuts," she laughed.

"Good night, Donnatella," he whispered, his voice suddenly husky.

She smiled and looked at Winston's stare from across the room. "Josh..." she started and then he disconnected. "Bye," she said to nothing.

His phone rang again.

"Didn't I just say good night, Donnatella?" he asked.

"Josh. What the hell are you yammering about?" Toby asked.

"Toby?"

"Joshy?" he mocked.

"What's up, man?" Josh asked.

"Why'd you call me Donna?"

"I just hung up with her...she sometimes calls back to...never mind," Josh decided. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to remind you that you need to meet with what's his name from State tomorrow afternoon," Toby cleared his throat.

"Yeah. I got it. I'm going over stuff now," Josh told him.

"Okay," Toby said.

"Okay," Josh answered.

"I'm gonna go now," Toby said.

"Yeah," Josh sighed as he hung up.